Ah, summer salads – nothing beats ‘em right? When I find a salad recipe that I love, I typically only eat that for dinner for sometimes 1-2 weeks. (I know, a little redundant to most) but I am a huge salad lover and find them to be so easy and fresh for dinner, and even for a simple lunch. When I get my heart set on a recipe, I go all in – and this recipe was definitely one on repeat. I call this my Sweet Summer Cherry Stone Fruit Salad – not only does it include, of course, cherries and peaches, but also crunchy pepitas, creamy goat cheese, kale micro greens and a sweet and tangy cherry champagne vinaigrette.
Aside from the fresh flavors, vibrant colors and fun mix of textures in this summer salad recipe, I love the fact that it is so easy to make and pairs great with proteins like chicken or fish to create a really filling meal.
A great hack to spruce up any average vinaigrette or dressing is to add fresh fruit to it – in this case, I took my usual Girard’s Champagne Vinaigrette dressing and added it to my blender, along with ½ cup pitted Starr Ranch Growers cherries to add a little extra tangy-sweet flavor and a hint of beautiful light pink color to it. I love getting creative with my seasonal fruits and incorporating them into dishes or applications that are otherwise super simple. During the summer months, I incorporate sliced cherries into an array of recipes from fresh salads, smoothies, ice cream and even cocktails. Their unique sweet and tangy flavor truly makes them the best addition in the kitchen, and have quickly become my new favorite summer staple!
What’s your favorite way to eat cherries? Do you have a sweet or savory dish you love that incorporate these tiny superfruits? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to enter this week’s Chilled & Cherry Sweepstakes on our Instagram @starr_ranch_growers to win your own Summer Salad Prize Package! Sweepstakes contest ends this Friday 7/17 at 12PM PST.
Goodluck!